Tennessee’s quarterback storylines have already been wild this season, but one twist came off the field. When Joey Aguilar left UCLA and landed in Knoxville, many assumed his family would carry frustration over how things played out. Instead, Aguilar’s father sent a message no one expected.
Jose Aguilar, Joey’s father, recently addressed the quarterback shuffle involving Nico Iamaleava, who left Tennessee for UCLA after NIL disputes. That move pushed Aguilar out of Los Angeles and into Knoxville in what some called one of college football’s first “player trades.”
But instead of pointing fingers, Jose Aguilar credited Iamaleava’s decision.
He made it clear there’s no bitterness: “We don’t have any problems with Nico.”
He went as far as to thank him, saying Joey is “in a great spot” and that “everything happens for a reason.”
Third, he doubled down on confidence in his son’s new opportunity, pointing to the early fan support and on-field results as proof Tennessee “won the trade.”
With Georgia looming in Week 3, the Volunteers now lean on Aguilar to prove his father right.
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